Forever and Always
by RinneRumiko
Summary: Lucy and Natsu have always been together. What if there's something that keeps even the strongest of friendships apart?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: On the Road Again

"Oi, Lucy!"

I groaned before looking in the direction of the bar and slowly making my way over. My feet were still sore and blistered from the other day, and I had a feeling that more extensive walking was about to be in my near future. Natsu was sitting with Gajeel and Gray, some unknown drink in his hands.

I took a seat beside Natsu and braced myself. "What is it?"

He smiled at me and pointed to the bulletin board where the job postings were. "Happy found a really good one! So make sure you're ready, okay? I wanna leave today!"

"Another one? But we just got back from a mission yesterday!" I complained.

Natsu tilted his head at me in confusion. "So?"

I let out a small sigh and stood up from my seat. I knew that his skull was far too thick for any of my logic to sneak in. "Okay fine. Have you told Erza about it yet?"

At the mention of her name both Gray and Natsu tensed up, their faces dark and serious.

I had been at the guild long enough to know not to even ask any more. "You're coming, right Gray?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I've been assigned some sort of job with Juvia for the next few days. We're leaving tonight, actually."

"Wait...so it's just going to be me, Natsu, and Happy?"

"Yep!" Natsu chugged down the remains of whatever beverage he had been drinking and stood up beside me. "Is something wrong with that?"

I bit my lip before replying. It had been a while since our last mission without both Erza and Gray, would it really be okay? I knew that my power and skill level wasn't even close to theirs. But I faked a confident smile. "Nope! Sounds fun!"

"Alright!" Natsu placed a large hand on my shoulder and steered me to the bulletin board. Grabbing the job description and shoving it in my face he added, "and look! The reward is 2000 jewels!"

My jaw dropped at the triple zeros. "I'll go get my stuff! Meet you back here in half an hour!"

Without waiting for a reply, I took off to my apartment. As the doors to the guild were closing behind me, I could have sworn that I heard Gajeel mumble something after me...

After shoving the necessities into my backpack, I jogged back to the guild to meet Natsu. He was already waiting outside the doors with a backpack of his own. Happy was standing with him, a paw in the air waving at me.

Natsu beamed down at me. "Ready?"

I nodded, trying to ignore my throbbing feet.

"Alright! I'm all fired up!"

Happy flew to rest on his backpack, his mouth now empty. "Aye!"

As the three of us walked out of town along the worn path to the neighbouring town, I suddenly stopped.

"Natsu...what is this mission anyways?"

He pulled a piece of paper from his bag and handed it to me. My heart dropped to my stomach as I read the words "KING FISH TROUBLE" in bold lettering across the job request.

I angrily shoved the paper back into Natsu's hands. "Are you serious? We're going FISHING?" What kind of a mission is this?!"

Happy flew around to hover beside me. "What's wrong Lucy? Doesn't it sound fun?"

The hurt look in Happy's eyes was enough for me to not say any more. Heck, I'd deal with a few gross worms for 2000 jewels.

I quickly assured Happy that I was fine with with the mission and kept my mouth shut for the rest of the journey.

By now, the sun was slowly setting over the rolling hills of the country and a light breeze was rustling my hair. Soft purples and blues decorated the sky. I took a deep breath of the fresh air and smiled. It really was beautiful. I looked over at Natsu, who also appeared to be enjoying the scenery.

I frowned at him. He wasn't usually this quiet.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, the concern apparent in my voice.

He turned to face me with a raised eyebrow. The blank expression on his face quickly transformed to his usual, carefree smile. I smiled back and returned my gaze the the city gates that were now just mere feet in front of us.

"Is this where the client is?"

Natsu shook his head and pulled out the job request again. After scanning it he said, "this client lives a bit farther away, but we should rest here for the night and see him tomorrow."

I subconsciously yawned at the mention of stopping to rest. I really was tired. Natsu noticed and chuckled with Happy at my obvious fatigue.

"So immature..." I mumbled.

After almost an hour, we had managed to find an inn with two separate rooms. According to the innkeeper, there was some sort of festival about to take place and because of that many people from all over the region and filling up the local inns. We were lucky to find even one room.

My room was right next to Natsu's, and I wished the two of them a good night before eagerly locking my door and starting a hot bath.

As the stream of steamy water began to fill up the tub, I stripped off my clothes and neatly folded them up on the counter. In the mirror besides, I noticed a large bruise covering most of my left side. I gently placed a few fingers over the darkened spot and flinched. As I began to further search myself more closely in the mirror, I noticed three more equally sore bruises on my back and shoulders. A small but deep cut was near my collarbone.

The tub had been sufficiently filled and I happily slipped in. I closed my eyes and recalled the mission we had been on only yesterday...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Rocks and Fishing

"A diamond hunt?" I had asked when I had been showed the details of the mission.

Both Gray and Natsu looked at me smugly. According to the two of them, the reward would be enough to support the whole team for another month.

Of course, I had agreed without further questioning. My savings were running dangerously low.

Then we learned what diamond hunting really was. Mining. In a mine. A really big mine. After hours of wandering through the maze of tunnels, Erza and Natsu had ended up getting lost and taking a different path.

Turns out, Natsu had set off a cave-in that fell through to the level that I had been wandering through with Gray. I chuckled at the memory of it all. I could still remember so clearly what Erza's face looked like when she found out.

My eyes closed and I visualized that avalanche of rocks that fell down on top of us. Dust stung my eyes and stuck to my mouth. Gray had managed to blast away the rocks from above his head, but was too far away from me to be of any help. My hands hadn't been quick enough to reach for my keys, and so I had been caught under all the rubble.

After Natsu and the others dug me out, I had felt fine and assured the others that I wasn't hurt. But I guess that the fall had done more damage than I had initially thought...

Turns out that there weren't even diamonds in that mine, but just a load of useless copper. It had taken us half a day to navigate our way back out of the mine and back to the guild after spending a night in those dark, damp tunnels.

I shuddered and sunk further into my bath. By now, the water had chilled and I decided to climb out and crawl into bed before it was too late for a good night of sleep.

The next morning I woke to the sound of a torrential downpour. I met Happy and Natsu downstairs, a small umbrella in my hands.

"Morning." He mumbled.

"Ready?"

He rubbed his eyes and yawned in my face. "Yeah. The guy's house is just a few minutes outside the town."

I gave Happy a warm smile and walked out into the rain. I shivered and hurried to open my umbrella.

The house where we met our client was cute. A little door with a circular window had opened to reveal an old man with a huge smile on his wrinkled face. Various pictures in mismatch frames adorned the blue walls of the dining room where we sat. Everything in the room smelled strongly of lavender with a little touch of vanilla; a little too feminine in my opinion, but I kept it to myself.

Natsu's gaze wandered around the room absentmindedly and I cleared my throat while kicking him under the table. He stuck a fiery tongue out at me I rolled my eyes.

Turning to the old man I began, "so what's the trouble? Your request mentioned something about fish trouble?"

The innocent smile on the man's face vanished in an instant. "King fish! It was king fish, I say!"

"Right right. Anyways, so why is this king fish such a bother?"

"It's been terrorizing all my koi! It needs to be removed from my pond at once!"

I held back a laugh and did my best to keep a serious expression. Motioning to Happy I added, "is it alright with you if we take this king fish with us? Or do you still want it? Our friend would love to take care of it for you."

The old man shrugged his shoulders. "As long as my koi are safe, I don't care what happens to that monster."

Natsu, looking bored and irritated, finally jumped from his seat. "Alright! Let's go already! I wanna eat!"

"My pond is in the back. You can just leave when you're done since I've already sent your payment to Fairy Tail." With that, the old man stood up and retreated to another room of the tiny house.

I nodded and hurried outside after Natsu and Happy. It was still pouring outside, but the way that the two of them were running around made it seem as if it was any other sunny day. "Aren't you cold?" I shouted.

Natsu momentarily stopped scanning the small pond and looked up at me. "Are you serious, Lucy?" He ignited the tip of his finger and dipped it in the water then his tongue stuck out at me like an idiot. Right. I had forgotten about that whole "fire mage" thing for a moment. The cold was probably getting to me.

Noticing a few nets at my feet, I scooped them up and distributed them among the three of us. The little pond was cute. There were a few lilly pads and other plants, as well as an assortment of polished rocks lining the edges. This was going to be a walk in the park. Luckily there wasn't a trace of wind, so the rain was bearable.

Happy began to shudder, and flew back inside. Natsu called something after him, but I was too focused on the water to listen. I could see at least five koi fish lazily hovering beneath the rippling surface. The little raindrops sliding down my exposed skin made me shiver. I just tried to imagine a warm mug of tea or a roaring fire as I continued to wait for this "king fish".

After a while, Natsu came back with Happy in tow. They both crouched on the edge of the pond and waited with me. And waited. And waited.

After what felt like an hour, Natsu let out an annoyed sigh and shoved his hand into the quiet pond. "Natsu! Don't do that! You're scaring them all away!"

I stood up and reached over to grab his arm away. At that moment, I felt the world suddenly shift under me and the disrupted surface of the water came up to swallow my face. My eyes stung and my lungs started to fill with the grimy water. I kicked my legs and swung my arms, but I was stuck. How deep was this stupid pond? I could hear my racing heart echo through my head; an explosion of bubbles burst from my mouth as the last bit of oxygen I had left my body. Something hard and rough slapped at my face and I desperately grabbed it.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of strong hands lift me out of the water. I coughed out a mouthful of water and gasped for air.

"Lucy! Hey, Lucy! Lucy wake up!" My vision was blurred, but I could see the bright pink of Natsu's hair and the outline of his face over me. His hands were on my shoulders, shaking me.

I coughed again and sat up. "Lucy, are you okay? You did it!" Natsu exclaimed.

"W-what?"

He pointed to my hand with a gigantic grin on his face. Slowly, I pointed my gaze down towards my clenched hand. I slowly released my hold and let out a tired sigh.

There in my hand was a little fish no bigger than my thumb, with a teeny little crown atop his fishy head.

OOPS. So...I...uhh...totally forgot to put in a note in the first chapter. My bad. :/

But yeah! Sorry to everyone who really wanted more of Taken. I...might finish it? I have to really be in the mood for it, you know? Right now I am SERIOUSLY in love with Fairy Tail and so I figured that I would go ahead and write down a story that I literally thought up a week ago. (hurr hurr)

And to new people: weeeeelcome! I ship Natsu and Lucy so much that it's probably unhealthy. I'm only 17 years old and writing is really my passion, so any criticism or general feedback would be greatly appreciated! :) There are more chapters to come, so don't you go thinking that this is the end!

ALSO, I usually take a loooong time to upload new chapters. I'm kinda on a roll right now, so this is considered really quick. I hope you'll be patient with me! ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Darkness

"...Lucy? Are you sure that you're okay?"

I looked at Natsu and smiled. "Yeah. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

I was still so soaked from my fall into the pond that I didn't even bother with my umbrella on the way back. My teeth chattered and my muscles were sore from shivering, but I didn't want to worry Natsu and Happy. My nose was stuffed up and my feet were starting to hurt again.

I had no idea what time it was, but I guessed late afternoon. A thick blanket of black clouds covered the sky, and the rain didn't look or sound like it was going to stop any time soon. The gravel path underneath my feet made a strange crunching sound that echoed in my head annoyingly. My head must have still been filled with water. I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey! Lucy! I'm talking to you!" Happy complained.

"Sorry Happy. I'm just...feeling kinda...funny..." My hand went to my head as I tried to focus on the ground in front of me.

Everything suddenly turned black and I felt something hard hit the back of my head.

Amongst the blackness, I heard a voice. I wasn't sure who it was, but they were calling to me. I tried to move, but my body felt like lead. The cut on my neck was stinging as if filled with poison.

"Natsu? Natsu! Where are you? Natsu!" I cried out in the suffocating darkness.

Something hot touched my arm, and my eyes shot open. I panted heavily and blinked several times. It was still completely dark. The sound of rain filled my ears, along with the sound of my own frantic breathing. I could feel a soft mattress underneath me.

"Lucy? Are you okay?" Warm fingers gently grabbed onto my arm.

I let out a sigh of relief and tried to sit up. If Natsu was there, I knew that I was safe. From the throbbing pain in my back, I knew that it was pointless to try and move for a while.

"What happened? Where are we?" I asked, letting my vision adjust to the darkness.

His hand left my arm and I could hear him move to the other side of the room. "You fainted while we were walking back home. I carried you to this inn since it was closest. You hit your head pretty badly, so Happy went ahead to bring us back some of my medicine."

Oh. That would explain a lot. "Why is it so dark? I mean, can't you turn on a light or something? I can barely see you!"

Natsu moved back beside me. "Lucy, it's the middle of the day. It's not dark out.."

Well...this one is shorter than I had intended, but oh well! Life happens! I've been really busy with school and such. But I'm trying!

Anyone here know Toby Turner? WELL HAPPY TOBUSCUS TUESDAY. (I have a blue Tobuscus hoodie...huehuehue) And don't worry. I love Pewds too. And Cry...and Ken. :P

As always, leave a review telling me what you think! It means a lot! :D :D :D Or you can message me because I love talking to new people... :3


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Blind Warmth

"What do you mean? Stop joking around Natsu! This isn't funny!"

Suddenly a pair of heavy hands clamped down on my shoulders. I could tell from his tone that he was serious. "Lucy, I'm not kidding."

He steered me to the other side of the room. I could see the outline of the window, with a blurry box of white in the middle. I squinted in hopes of seeing more detail, but to no avail. I even tried rubbing my eyes and blinking for a while, but there was still no difference.

"Natsu," I panicked, "what do I do? What's wrong with me?" I sat back down on the bed and held back my tears. Crying wasn't going to solve anything.

I heard his footsteps pace back and forth in front of me. I sighed. There was no point asking Natsu for a solution. I needed to come up with one before he thought up something stupid.

"Hey, Natsu...where's Happy?"

"I'm not sure. He hasn't come back since last night...I'm really worried about him."

I could tell from his voice that Natsu wanted to go look for him. I looked up at his blurry figure and smiled. "Go look for him. I'll stay here."

He bent down and stared at me. "You sure? I mean...you can't really see and..."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine!"

"Thanks Lucy!" With that he rushed out the door, slamming it behind him.

I'm not sure how long it was, but I stayed in bed a lot that day. I stretched a little bit, but mostly rolled around in a lazy attempt to amuse myself. Eventually I gave up waiting for Natsu to come back and decided to take a shower.

Somehow I managed to make my way to the bathroom and start the hot water. I was astounded how bad my eyesight had become. I must have really hit my head hard when I fainted... All of my bruises were still stinging, and I was thankful that Natsu hadn't noticed them. He probably wouldn't have left to look for Happy if he had.

After much fumbling with the shower knobs and slippery shampoo bottles, I managed to emerge from my shower unharmed and feeling much cleaner.

Once I was in a fresh change of clothes, I crawled back into bed. My vision wasn't getting any worse, but it wasn't getting any better either. I checked the window again. Judging from the yellowish tinge to the light, it was probably early in the evening now. Snuggling further under the sheets, I closed my eyes and let myself fall into dreams filled with fish kings and giant monocles.

When I woke up, I felt hot air blowing on my face. My eyes were totally useless in the complete darkness, so I had to carefully reach my hands forward to see what was blowing on me. My fingers suddenly brushed something soft. I quickly retracted my hand, then reached back to feel it again. It was hair. Spiky hair. Natsu?

I shuffled closer and gently brought my fingers down to trace the outlines of his face. His breathing was slow and calm; he must have fallen asleep... From what I could tell, he was on his knees beside the bed, with his head resting on crossed arms. I couldn't help but smile a little. He may have been the biggest idiot ever, but he was definitely the idiot with the biggest heart.

"Natsu." I whispered, gently poking his cheek.

He mumbled something incomprehensible and pressed his cheek into my hand. I giggled and whispered his name again. This time, his hand shot out and grabbed onto mine. My face heated and my heart skipped a beat as I felt his fingers wrap around my hand. I tried to tell myself to calm down, but it was useless. My skin felt electrified and goosebumps covered my arms.

Natsu's head was still resting on his arm, but his free hand was tightly holding on to mine. His warm breath blew over my fingers. I carefully tried to wiggle my hand away, but it was no use. Natsu's hands were gigantic compared to mine, and so rough that I couldn't slip away. But...they were warm. A deep blush filled my cheeks as I felt his fingers occasionally twitch against my skin.

I could feel the toughened texture of his skin against mine. I thought about how many times these hands had saved me. Had saved everyone. These powerful, caring hands that held so much potential. It amazed me that, despite such a tight grip, his grasp was so...gentle. I blushed again and scolded myself for thinking too much.

My eyes soon closed on their own accord, and I fell asleep with a pleasant warmth flowing from my hand into the rest of my body...

Sooooooo? Do you guys like this chapter? :D I really really hope so! It was a tad more difficult to write than I had wanted, and I hope that nobody was confused with the details. Right? Good? Good. Please lemme know in the comments if anything is wrong/weird/etc.

And I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that has already favorited this story. It seriously makes me so happy to know that people are enjoying this. ^_^ It's been tough finding a story on FF that I can really get into. I mean, a lot of the time people seem to put Natsu and/or Lucy out of character, so I'M TRYING MY BESTEST. If you think it's a bit off, pleaaaaase tell me because I don't like being wrong. :C

Anyways. I hope you have a lovely day (or night) and know that I appreciate you. YOU. That's right. And don't forget it.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: An Awkward Morning

I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but something was touching my back. It…tickled. My knees came up to my chest and I snuggled closer into the wad of blankets to my right. So warm…

At the edge of my consciousness, I could hear a soft purring. Happy? I slowly opened my eyes and immediately shut them again. My vision still hadn't fully returned, but the shards of light that came through made my head spin.

Wait…was it morning? I opened my eyes for a second time and strained to keep them open. Trying to sit up, I suddenly became aware of the strong arm holding me down. Then I noticed the arm under my head. As my heart stopped for the second time, I felt the soft texture of hair against my forehead.

N-Natsu? What was he THINKING? My groggy mind desperately attempted to process the situation, but with no luck.

His fingers twitched against the sensitive skin of my back. My breath hitched at the new sensation and I held back a loud gasp. I was completely electrified. The erratic beating of my heart thundered in my ears. The sweet, smokey smell of Natsu's invaded my nose like a wildfire. From what limited vision I had, I could tell that his face was mere inches from mine.

As he took in a deep breath, I heard the purring again. Really? Natsu purrs in his sleep? That's just so adorable…Wait, no! This isn't the time to be thinking like that!

After a few minutes of attempting to quietly wiggle out, I knew it was useless. His grip around my waist was unusually strong. "Natsu!" I hissed.

He continued to purr, ignorant to my struggle. I said his name again. This time, he drew me closer into his chest and mumbled something to himself. My face was pressed against his warm neck, and I could feel his chin settle on my head. I could hear the soft beating of Natsu's heart through his neck. Blood rushed to my cheeks and I let out a yell as my hands flew out to shove the two of us in opposite directions.

"Ahhh! What the heck?"

With a deep blush covering my entire face I huddled the blankets around me and stared at Natsu, who was laying on the floor with a serious glare directed at me.

"You were in the bed! What were you thinking?" I shouted back.

His face relaxed and he scratched his head in confusion. "…huh? I did? Sorry Lucy! I guess I had just fallen asleep when I got back…" Noticing my twitching eyebrow, he quickly added, "Hey…it was an accident! I swear!"

I let out a sigh. I knew it was an accident, so why did I feel a little disappointed? I mean, it's not like I wanted him to hold me…Right?

"I'm going to shower."

Without waiting for a reply, I stumbled into the bathroom and hastily locked the door behind me. My heart was still racing as I stepped into the shower. At least the hot water was working…

_OKAY. Sorry for weird formatting in previous notes. I hope this one is better and you can tell it isn't part of the story. So yeah. Another short chapter, my bad. Please leave a review or even PM me. I love talking to people, especially about NaLu._

_Have a nice day and stuff. :D And a big thanks to the followers and favourites!_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Lingering Warmth

I wasn't sure how long it took, but we finally managed to make it back to the guild. The walk home had been uncomfortably quiet. I didn't bring up what happened last night, and Natsu didn't either. Happy had met us in the middle of town, and both him and Natsu ran off somewhere.

Furious for being abandoned, I blindly stomped through the winding streets along the canal until finally reaching my apartment. The afternoon was scorching hot and fumbling with my keys was unbearable with my tunneled vision. I had even lost my balance a few times, successfully mashing my face into the door and probably leave a little bruise.

Wendy and Carla had come over minutes after I managed to unlock my front door. Apparently the entire guild had heard about what happened, and everyone was worried about me.

After what felt like an eternity, Wendy had finally backed away with a defeated look. Carla jumped up onto the couch beside me, placing a tiny paw on my trembling hand.

"I...I'm sorry Lucy. I don't know why but...I can't fix it!" Wendy's words hurriedly tumbled out of her mouth before she ran out of the room, hands covering her face.

After mumbling some words of sympathy, Carla sprouted her wings and flew off to catch up with Wendy.

I heard the door slam shut behind me, and I fell to my knees in defeat. I felt cold tears slide down my face and drip on the floor. By now, there was nothing but a sliver of my sight left. Wendy couldn't fix it... Soon I won't be able to see at all, right? My body was shaking uncontrollably by now.

Eventually, I stood up and rubbed my eyes. It was hard, but I had to be strong. I lay down on the couch with my arm over my eyes. It was eerily quiet. I could only hear the sound of my clock from across the room, patiently ticking away. The sun was just beginning to set, and I could feel the warm tingle of sunlight on my head.

Despite my crisis, I felt...relaxed. I let out a deep sigh and stretched out my legs. Without intending to, my mind began to drift back to the other night. The memory was still so fresh, but at the same time it was if it never happened. I could almost still feel his fingers around my hand, hear that soft purring in my ear. My skin tingled as I recalled the warmth he radiated. Why did his confused, innocent expression hurt me so much? I mean, it wasn't like...no. It couldn't be. There's no way I would fall for a guy like him, right? I just...

There was suddenly a loud bang from my doorway, and I let out a surprised yell. From the couch I could make out the figures of Happy and Natsu barge their way into my room; uninvited as usual.

"Lucy! Did Wendy heal your eyes? I brought you this medicine for your head." Holding out his hands in front of my face, I could vaguely see a small jar of ointment. It smelled like mint, or something similar.

"For my head...?" I curiously asked. "And no, Wendy didn't have any luck...My sight might be stuck like this forever."

Natsu let out a sigh and flopped onto the couch beside me. I felt Happy land on my lap. My hands began stroking his soft fur absentmindedly, and his little body vibrated with a loud purr. Just like Natsu...

"Hey! Lucy! I'm talking to you!"

I shook myself out of my thoughts. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

Natsu's body slumped as he let out a tired breath. "Aren't you gonna put some medicine on now?" He pressed the glass jar into my free hand, and waited for me to move.

After several minutes of struggling to even take the lid off, I felt the little jar being lifted out of my hands. I blinked several times to see where it had floated off to. The smell of mint suddenly washed over me as Natsu easily pried the container open. I felt Happy's paws crawl across my legs and over to where Natsu was sitting.

"Hey! This isn't the right medicine!" He exclaimed.

"Ehhhh?! Happy! You told me this was the right one!"

"Sorry Natsu!" Happy wailed. "I'll go back and get the right stuff!"

"Geez! Sorry, Lucy..."

I giggled at their frustrated exchange. "It's okay. I'm just happy that you would take care of me when I'm like this."

Natsu smiled at me. 'Of course! We're best friends. I'll always take care of you!"

My heart fluttered at his words. I fanned at my face for a moment when I felt a blush on my cheeks. Only he was able to say something like that and not understand what it meant. I smiled back at him and whispered my thanks.

After a few silent minutes crawled by, Natsu suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, this IS the right stuff! I remember now! Happy must have got it confused with something else...Here Lucy, you can use it!"

I blindly held out my hands, accidentally knocking his in the process. I heard myself gasp as the little jar fall to the floor. Quick as a flash, Natsu leaped off the couch and caught it before it smashed to pieces. "Maybe I should put it on for you..." He chuckled.

The blush returned to my face, but I didn't argue. I could barely see my feet and putting something on the back of my head didn't sound like a smart idea. Sitting back down on the couch, Natsu crossed his legs and motioned for me to turn around. I closed my eyes and listened to him open the jar and place it on the coffee table. He rubbed his hands together and shuffled a little closer, his knee touching my back.

"Uhh...Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you tie your hair up or something? It's in the way, and you're gonna be mad if I get the medicine in it..."

I smiled at his comment, knowing that it was completely true. Luckily for me, there was a hair elastic around my wrist that I quickly put to use tying my hair into a single ponytail. As my hands fell to rest in my lap, I felt one of Natsu's hands hesitantly touch my neck. Shivers ran all throughout my body and I sucked in a breath. His hand immediately left my skin and I could hear the concern in his voice.

"Sorry, does that hurt? You have a really big bruise there..."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine." I wasn't about to admit that it actually felt really good.

Again he tenderly placed a hand on my neck and slowly began to rub the cool medicine into my skin. With closed eyes, I paid attention to the texture of his skin. His fingers were hard and cracked, but the warmth they held ghosted across my skin. Slowly and carefully he began to work his way up into my hairline, his fingers swirling around in a soothing motion.

"Hey, I think you have another bruise here..." Natsu quietly murmured. With one swift motion, he grabbed my waist and spun me around to face him. I let out a little squeak, but didn't say anything. I could barely see him in front of me.

"See? I was right! How did you get this one on your neck?" Without waiting for a response, his hands quickly found their way back to my skin. Each subtle movement he made sent a wave of fire through me. I tried my best not to shudder. His smoky, dark scent filled my nose like a drug and his soft breath on my face was exhilarating. The room was darker since the sun was nearly gone but shards of light through my window illuminated his hair to a vibrant pink blur in my vision.

His placed his palm on the base of my neck and paused, obviously distracted. Reaching over, he grabbed the minty ointment and smeared some more onto his fingers. His hand felt massive around my neck. I could feel a faint pulse from his fingers, and more heat flooded into me from every inch of his skin that touched mine. My eyes fluttered closed at his touch.

All too soon, Natsu leaned back and moved his hands away. "There! Looks like you're all done!"

My eyes reluctantly and I stretched my back. "Thanks, Natsu. That feels a lot better."

"Wait." His shot out and grabbed my face, somewhat roughly. I winced as his thumb rubbed over a spot on my cheek. "Lucy! How did you get this little one here? It's really purple." Grabbing the ointment again, he sighed. "Geez. Tell me when you get hurt, okay?"

I stared at him as he busied himself opening the container once more. A bruise on my face? When did I...oh. From the door earlier today? I mentally slapped myself for being so stupid. Then again, it was sorta cute seeing Natsu so worried about me.

I closed my eyes again as he came closer to me, afraid that my blush would show too much. His thumb traced little circles along my cheekbone. "Hey, you have...another one...right...here..." Natsu's voice whispered in my ear. He slowly moved his thumb closer and closer to my lips, right to the corner of my mouth. All the life in me momentarily left as his warm breath flew across my lips. My eyes opened to see his staring right back at me, mere inches from my face. Though his face was a blur, I could still see the intensity in his gaze. I felt his heat seep through my pores and leak all the way to my bones.

Natsu's face came closer and closer to mine. I held my breath and my eyes closed of their own accord. His hand delicately lifted up my chin and the minty odor of the medicine filled my nose. My mind raced as my body remained completely still. His lips were almost touching mine...

"Natsu! Lucy! I didn't find the medici- Hey! What are you guys doing?" Happy innocently asked flying through the open window.

Face exploding with a deep blush, I managed to hurl Natsu to the other side of the room just as Happy had come in. Confused and innocent, Happy sat down next to me and examined the jar of medicine now half empty. "Oh, so it was the right one! Silly me!"

Happy giggled to himself and I couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh. Maybe it was better to just keep the relationship between Natsu and I safe. Falling in love was...dangerous, to say the least. I had learned that the hard way. As much as I wanted to be that much closer to my teammate, I was smart enough to realize that it would never really work out. Natsu was so connected with everyone. He wouldn't settle for someone like me.

"Happy! You're finally back! What took you so long?" Natsu exclaimed, standing up and dusting himself off.

The exceed blushed a little and mumbled something about a certain white cat. I gave him a suspicious look, but let the topic go. It was already dark outside by now, and I was beyond tired.

On their way out, Natsu paused at my door as if to say something. His face was flushed, probably from the summer heat or something. Happy had already started to fly ahead without looking back to wait for his partner. "Hey, umm...about that...uhh..." He scratched behind his head awkwardly.

I smiled. "Thanks for the medicine Natsu. It really helped."

Chuckling, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and flashed me his signature smile. "No problem! See you tomorrow!" With that, he ran off after his furry partner.

"Goodnight." I whispered, slowly closing the door behind me.

_ALRIGHTY. This is my longest chapter! Yay! You liiiike? :D And thanks to all the followers and favourites! Really makes my day. You guys are the reason I keep writing this story. And I PROMISE this story will actually start to develop in the next chapter! (I had planned on making stuff happen in this one, but I had the urge to write some fluff~) _

_So yeah. Leave a comment because they make me super happy. ^_^ And ALSO IF YOU HAVE TUMBLR, YOU SHOULD FOLLOW ME. (__) And NaLu week is coming up in June so go and look that up on Tumblr as well if you're interested in seeing some awesome fanart and reading some great fanfics. (I"ll probably submit some as well, just in case you were wondering)_

_I've been really busy with school, and I'm graduating in a few weeks so it might be a while before the next chapter comes out. I've been really depressed and overwhelmed and just really tired with life. So sorry if there won't be any updates for a least a couple of weeks. :/_

_ANYWAYS. Have a great day, you lovely people. Don't forget that you're beautiful and special and everything else good in this funny world. _


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